Container for explosives



March 11, 1941. HUYE 2,234,699

CONTAINER FOR EXPLOSIVES Filed Oct. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 11, 1941. D. D. HUYETT counman FOR EXPLOSIVES Filed Oct. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 11,1941

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 22, 1938, Serial No. 236,545

6 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved type of cylindrical paper shell, dimensioned to constitute the container for dynamite in the manufacture of dynamite cartridges, 1. e. "sticks of dynamite.

It is well known that not all dynamite cartridges are fired by detonators or blasting caps directly inserted therein. In. a great many cases, the wave of detonation is transmitted from an initially fired cartridge to a train of other cartridges disposed end-to-end and one of which has end-to-end contact with said initially fired cartridge.

It is therefore important that the shells of the cartridges or sticks of dynamite be of such construction as to facilitate this end-to-end transmission of the detonating wave. This is especially true of certain permissible dynamites and seismograph powders which are much more insensitive than conventional nitroglycerine dynamite. In the light of the foregoing, I have aimed to provide a pap r. shell for dynamite cartridges which will have a minimum of covering material over the ends of the sticks of dynamite, so that the dynamite of one cartridge may lie in close relation to the dynamite of the adjacent cartridge. i

In the formation of sticks of dynamite by the present used, conventional methods, the paper coverings are wound to tube formation, and the ends are folded over in such manner as to present several thicknesses of the paper at the ends of the shells. In. an endeavor to make these folded ends water-tight, the whole assembly is dipped in melted parafiln. When the p'araifin gets cold, it hardens and has a. tendency to flake off. In addition, the several thicknesses of paper, stifl'ened and additionally thickened by the adhering paraflln, present a bulky and cumbersome 40 end, having the functional disadvantage of holding the actual explosive material of two adjacent cartridges in relatively widely separated relation to each other. According to the present invention, a paper tube is provided, having only a single integral, fiat web of paper constituting the end thereof, so that the explosive material of two adjacent cartridges may lie very close together.

I am aware of the fact that in the manufacture of pelleted black powder, it has heretofore been the practice to take enough of the preformed black powder pellets to constitute a stick and wrap them in paper in such manner that only a single web of paper lies across the end of the stick. However, that is a very difierent matter from forming a receptacle for dynamite having that characteristic, for the reason that in the case of the black powder, the pellets themselves constitute a forming core upon which the paper may be wound and positioned and there- 5 after sealed.

In the case of stick dynamite, however, there is no such pre-formed core, and the shells must be made in such fashion as to stand up under their own strength in. cartridge filling machines, wherein the granular and relatively viscous mass of dynamite must be fed into the tube and then tamped therein. It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a papertube having the following characteristics: 15

First, it must be so wound and formed as to stand up under its own strength in the filling operations;

Second, it must be made of a single and integral sheet of paper;

Third, it, must present but a single web of paper across the end of the tube, and

Fourth, it should present no internal projections of the paper folds which would interfere with the operation of the tamp in. tamping the dynamite into the shells.

The manner in which a tube having these characteristics is provided is set forth in the following detailed description and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the tube is to be made;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite side;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wrapper with the former in position preparatory to starting the wrap;

Fig. 4 is a similar taken one wrap;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are similar ,views with the former in progressive stages of wrapping;

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the completelywrapped roll;

Fig. 9 is a partial vertical section through the completed wrapper with the former removed;

Fig. 10 is a similar view illustrating one form of closure cap; I

Fig. 11 is a similar view illustrating a second form of closure ca and Fig. 12 is a like view illustrating still another form of closure ca Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the blank 5 is-of generally rectangular formation with respect to the 55 view with the former having sides 6, I and 8, but is cut obliquely along the side 9. In cementing the tube into its finished form, cement is applied to the inner face of the blank at II and II, and during the rolling operation hereinafter described, a dauber applies cement to the exterior side of the blank along at least a portion of the area I 2.

In forming a tube, a forming core l3, such as a. cylindrical piece of wood, the diameter of which corresponds to the internal diameter of the finished tube, is laid upon the inner face of the blank 5 in about the position indicated by the dotted lines Ila. The portion [4 of the blank is then folded over the core l3, and the terminal end portion I5 is tucked in beneath the inner, or in Fig. 1 upper, side of the core l3. This terminal end portion I! may be cut off along the dotted line lid, if desired.

A turning movement is then imparted to the core to wind the paper blank thereon, the right hand end portion of the blank traveling along the oblique line lib. Before the beginning of this turning operation, the triangular section It is folded sharply upward so that its portion I1 lies flat against the end of the forming core and constitutes the single thickness of paper which will form the bottom of the finished shell. After this initial upturn'ing of the triangular section [6, the forming core is thrust against any suitable vertical stop or wall, indicated diagrammatically at It.

The core is then rotated to wind the paper web thereon,-the right hand end of the core, as previously stated, proceeding along the oblique line 15b to'the upperright handcorner (in Fig. 1)

of the blank. Since the material constituting the triangular portion It cannot fold outwardly because of the presence of the vertical wall [8, it can do nothing else than fold inwardly during this turning operation of the forming core, and this it does to form the series of pleats l5, which fold over upon the outer side of the web and toward the left hand end of the core.

As the winding proceeds, the cement at Ill and II cements the inner-face of the blank to the wound outer face. In like manner, as the winding proceeds, a dauber is used to apply cement along the area l2 so that the folded-in pleats are successively cemented to the outer face of the blank and finally the inner terminal corner 20 is cemented to the outer face of the blank.

A nitrocellulose or other waterproof cement is used, and when the core is withdrawn from the finished tube, we have left a completely watertight, self-sustaining tube, made of a single piece of relatively light weight paper and having its bottom end constituted by a single and integral thickness of said paper. Further, it will be noted that the line along which the edge 6 is cemented to the outer face of the tube is a spiral line and not a straight line, and this makes for added strength. x

If it is not desired to seal the cartridge, then mere application of cement at the upper righthand corner of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 6; would be suilicient to hold the shell together in a unitary structure after removal of the' core.

Additionally, it will be noted that the edge 8,

which constitutes the exposed edge of the blank inside of the finished tube, likewise lies in a' i interfere withthe, downward movement of the tamp inpacking the dynamite into the finished tube.

Many ways may be resorted to of sealing the upper ends of the tube after it has been filled with explosive, one such way being illustrated in Fig. 10, where a sheet of paper 2| is laid over the upper end of the tube and. a ring 22 is forced downwardly to fold this piece of paper in caplike formation over the upper end of the filled tube. A suitable cement will, of course, be applied to render the resulting cap a water-tight one.

In Fig. 11, I have illustrated an internal paper cap of cup-like formation at 23, which may be thrust downwardly into the top of the filled tube and the edges of the tube cemented thereto at 24. In Fig. 12, I have illustrated still a third way of sealing the upper end of the tube, which consists of pressing a disk of paper 25 into the open end of the tube and then crimping the tube over the edges of the disk as indicated at 25.

The particular way of sealing the upper end of the tube isnot of the essence of the invention, since many ways may be resorted to of accomplishing' this object. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms 'or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what Iclaim is:

1. An empty, self supporting paper tube adapted for use in dynamite cartridge filling machines, formed of a single sheet of paper folded in such manner'as to provide for said tube a bottom wall of a single thickness of said paper, and wherein that edge of the sheet which lies inside of the tube and that edge thereof which lies outside of the tube are disposed in spiral paths, the spiral edge of the sheet inside of the tube facing toward the bottom of the tube.

2. An empty, self-supporting tube adapted for use in dynamite cartridge filling machines, formed of a single sheet of paper having a portion thereof folded across the bottom of the tube and then inwardly into a series of pleats disposed at a plurality of points around the major portion of the circumference of the tube and which are folded over and upon each other and into the windings of the sides of the tube to form a bottom wall of a single thickness of paper securely held in position across the end of the tube the paper employed being of such stiffness and resiliency as to render 'the empty tube wholly selfsupporting in its passage through cartridge filling' machines.

3. The herein described method of forming empty paper tubes for use in the manufacture of sticks of dynamite, and which tubes are sumciently strong and rigid to be self-supporting during the tamping of dynamite thereinto, which consists of placing a cylindrical former upona blank of paper out to form three right angular edges and one oblique edge, with the former having its length disposed substantially perpendicu lar to the oblique edge of the blank, said former lying materially nearer the lower than the upper right sangular edge of said blank, folding the paper vertically across and fiat against that end of the former that is remote from the oblique edge of the blank, to constitute a single thickness bottom across the said end of the former, pressing the end of the former and paper firmly against the face of an abutment,- which face extends in .Substantial parallelism with the oblique edge of the blank, rolling the former andpaper together into tube formation of the paper, while the abutment functions to turn the upturned portion of the paper into inturned pleats, and cementing the whole together to maintain the tubular formation of the article.

4. The herein described method of forming empty paper tubes for use in the manufacture of sticks of dynamite, and which tubes are sufficient- 1y strong and rigid to be self-supporting during the tamping of dynamite thereinto, which consists of placing a cylindrical former upon a blank of paper out to form three right angular edges and one oblique edge, with the former having its length disposed substantially perpendicular to the oblique edge of the blank, said former lying materially nearer the lower than the upper right angular edge of said blank, folding the paper vertically along a line substantially parallel with the oblique edge of the blank to form an upstanding triangular portion which lies flat against the end.

of the former adjacent the widest part of said triangular portion, thrusting the end of the former and said upstanding portion of the paper against the vertical face of an abutment which lies substantially parallel to the line of folding of said upstanding portion of the paper while rolling the paper and former together along the face of the abutment, said. abutment serving during the rolling action to turn the paper constituting the triangular portion inwardly in the form of short pleats between the successive layers of the rolled tube, and cementing said successive layers and pleats together.

5. A tube for a conventional stick of dynamite, made from a single blank of paper wound to cylindrical form and comprising side walls of more than one thickness of paper, a single thickness end wall at one end, a series of pleats disposed at a plurality of points around the major portion of the circumference of the tube and constituting extensions of the end wall portion, which pleats are folded inwardly along the sides of the tube' thickness of paper securely held in position across the end of the tube, the paper employed being of such stiffness and resiliency as to render the empty tube wholly self-supporting in its passage through cartridge filling machines, the shape of the paper blank from which the tube is formed being such as to present a downwardly facing spiral-edge around the interior of the finished tube.

DANIEL D. HUYE'I'I. 

